Hongdae Korean BBQ with gabrisal and gochujang pork belly: Dojeok

Where is Dojeok Hapjeong? Between Sangsu and Hapjeong stations

I visited Dojeok Hapjeong for dinner with a friend while we were around Hongdae. It's located toward the end of the Hongdae strip, about a 5-minute walk from Sangsu Station, so it was easy to get to. A solid pick if you're looking for a place to eat meat between Sangsu and Hapjeong stations.

The first thing that caught my eye outside was the sign — the lettering was written deliberately crooked, giving it a different feel from a typical BBQ restaurant sign. Kind of retro and unique, which I found cute haha. Inside, the place was bigger than expected. It's two floors total, and we ate on the first floor that day. I was curious about the table spacing and overall atmosphere for a meat restaurant, and it was pretty neatly arranged overall.

You could see meat aging on one side of the restaurant. The kitchen was also somewhat open, so you could see the cooking in progress, and it looked well kept and clean, which I liked.

Ordering one serving each of plain and marinated pork at Dojeok Hapjeong

You order using the kiosk at your table. Looking through the menu, the gochujang pork belly caught my eye. I don't often see pork belly grilled with gochujang (red chili paste) marinade at regular BBQ places, so I was a bit curious.

What we ordered that day: one serving of gabrisal, one serving of gochujang pork belly, and doenjang sulbap. What I personally liked was being able to order plain and marinated meat in one serving each. At some BBQ restaurants you have to order two or more servings of the same type from the start, but here you could pick one of each, which seems great for anyone who wants to try several menu items.

After ordering, the side dishes came out first. There was quite a variety — myeongi namul (mountain leek), ssammu (pickled radish wrap), scallion-and-bean-sprout salad, kimchi, garlic, macaroni salad, and more. With several accompaniments to pair with the meat, it was fun trying different combinations.

Starting dinner with gabrisal and bokbunja wine

They coated the grill plate first, and then the gabrisal came out. We grilled it to a nice golden brown, and it was great for enjoying the flavor of the meat itself, and also had a different feel eaten together with the myeongi namul or the scallion-bean-sprout salad. Eating meat calls for a drink, so we also ordered a bottle of bokbunja (black raspberry wine) haha.

Sipping slowly with the meat while chatting about this and that, the dinner mood really started to set in.

Doenjang sulbap: the hearty soy-paste rice between bites of meat

After a bit of a wait, the doenjang sulbap arrived too. It looked delicious even just bubbling away in the stone pot.

Eating a spoonful of doenjang sulbap between bites of meat worked really well together. The soy paste-based broth was good to eat between bites of meat, and with rice included it was hearty enough as a meal on its own.

Gochujang pork belly, grilled in the kitchen and brought to the table

And then the thing I was most curious about that day: the gochujang pork belly. Rather than grilling it yourself at the table like regular pork belly, it's grilled in the kitchen and brought out to you. The kiosk mentioned that AI is used to grill the meat before serving it, which I found surprising. We're now in an era where AI is used to grill meat at BBQ restaurants too, haha.

Having the marinated meat grilled separately and brought to us meant we didn't have to wait to eat the plain meat before grilling it again. I liked being able to alternate between gabrisal and gochujang pork belly, and the marinated meat had that distinct marinade flavor, giving it a clearly different feel from the plain meat.

After we finished the gabrisal, the staff swapped the grill plate for one suited to the marinated meat. Thanks to that, we could reheat the already-grilled gochujang pork belly too. It was convenient not having to swap the grill plate ourselves while eating — they took care of it.

Personally, I prefer alternating between several types of meat rather than sticking to just one kind, and that day I liked being able to order gabrisal and gochujang pork belly together. With several side dishes too, it was fun switching up the combinations — trying meat with myeongi namul, then with scallions.

They were also running a receipt review event. Since you can get a free side menu item for writing a review, it might be worth checking the details if you visit.

Is Dojeok Hapjeong good for sharing several cuts with a friend?

Overall, the restaurant had a clean atmosphere and the staff were friendly, making for a comfortable meal. What I liked most was being able to order plain and marinated meat in single servings each. If you visit with a group, it seems like a great way to pick different meats according to everyone's taste, and with two floors it looked good for group visits too.

Being close to Sangsu Station made it convenient for setting up a dinner with a friend, and it's not too far from the Hongdae strip either, so it's a good location for a second round of drinks nearby after the meal.

Overall, the food was tasty and the restaurant was clean, which made for a satisfying visit. Rather than sticking to the usual samgyeopsal or mokssal, it's more fun to visit when you want to enjoy something different alongside it, like gabrisal and gochujang pork belly.